Cam's relationship with Shula

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Shula is the one who inspired Cam to give the ball away to a kid after his signature superman celebration.

This all started with Mike Shula. The Panthers' quarterbacks coach witnessed Newton's "Clark Kent Becomes Superman" touchdown routine a number of times already this season - he does it after every rushing touchdown and now has seven in seven games. Shula had some advice for his star rookie quarterback last week.

Newton recounted after Carolina beat Washington 33-20 Sunday: "He (Shula) says when you celebrate, it's not a celebration unless you give back. He says, 'You do all that riff raff, whatever you do, but at the end you give that football to a little kid. You find a little kid.'

"So after I did whatever I did," Newton continued, "I heard somebody (Shula) in my (helmet) headset saying, 'Give it to a little kid! Give it to a little kid!' I looked and there was this kid just gleaming from ear to ear, so I gave it to him."

Shula declined to be interviewed about his suggestion to Newton Monday.

Cam respects Shula, a few excerpts from a article on Panthers.com

Shula certainly seems to have managed to find the approach that works well for Newton.

"I don't think he gets the credit that he deserves," Newton said. "My level of comfort has been fast-forwarded because of our relationship. He's a person I've gone to numerous times asking for help, for what to do on the field and off the field.

"He's an excellent father figure, and he's a coach you can relate to on so many different levels. He's played this game, he's coached this game for a long time, and his father was a tremendous coach. That's what you want in a guy that you see each and every day and is coaching you up."

The life of the average NFL quarterback is draining during the season, but Newton's experience has been anything but average: a rookie quarterback playing right away and coming off a shortened offseason.

Shula, however, has helped Newton remain fresh and focused, something Rivera notices every time he sticks his head into the quarterbacks room.

"I don't care who you are - after 15 minutes, your eyes can glaze over. But Mike keeps those guys engaged," Rivera said. "Mike is creative in ways where it's not always the same thing in meetings, where every time it's not a lecture where Mike talks.

"Mike changes up the way he does things, and Cam responds very well to that. It's not just about being on the board and watching tape. It's about asking direct questions, about having him draw on the board or lead certain discussions in meetings instead of just sitting there."

Shula said Newton also deserves credit for keeping it interesting.

"He's fun to coach," Shula said. "He's smart. He has his opinions, which is what you want. He wants to know why. That way, you're not a robot. He understands the concepts, which helps you understand the overall picture."

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I'm sure all coaches, sorry and good, receive comments like that. It doesn't erase Shula's coaching record. I think ultimately, we've changed very little concerning our coaching going into next year. Yet with all that said, as long as Shula use our running backs, we should be good.

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the promotion makes sense, Rivera knows a total change in system and vocabulary will not benefit the offense in his one year trial under DG. so the continuity makes sense, especially if they know Cam has a good relationship with Shula. it might turn out to be bad but i can get the logic and it's a pretty decent gamble.